ART OBJECT FOR THE ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE
«Close your eyes ... And there, in the depths, behind closed eyes, close your eyes again. Then even stones come to life».
From "Sky over Berlin" by Wim Wenders («Der Himmel über Berlin»)
The Geographical Center - "Heart of Ukraine" is a spatial composition located close to H16 highway in 2.8 km to the east of the city of Shpola, Cherkasy region. The main component of the installation is a platform measuring a diameter of 25.46 meters and an area of 582.0 m2 with 25 pairs of sculptural wings placed around the perimeter. Each pair symbolizes a country’s region including Crimea and Sevastopol.
The surfaces of the capital structures of the complex are cladded with natural stone slabs. Terraces surrounding the compositional center were sought to achieve greater expressiveness. The flagpole is shifted thirty meters (in accordance with the countdown of the years of Independence) to the west of the symbolic altar-well.
Construction decisions were made taking into account the data of engineering and geological studies. The terrain’s conditions are of the second category of complexity. The territory is flat, partially deformed as a result of agricultural activity. The standard seismicity is 5 points. According to the climatic zoning, the location is within the 1st climatic region. The aquifer level is recorded at depths of 17.4-17.6 m, which corresponds to an absolute mark of 148.50 m.
Structurally the platform is a monolithic slab on a reinforced concrete strip foundation. The walls of the wells are made of C25 / 30W8 class concrete. "Wings" (metal frame structures 4.8 m high) are painted white. Pedestrian area - 1160.26 m2. Green spaces - 3547.53 m2. Transit (parking) - 778.50 m2. Together with the sightseeing spot (main platform), the total area of the complex is 6075.95 m2.
In 1958, at the World Exhibition in Brussels foreign critics named "Earth" among the twelve best films of all times. The film by Alexander Dovzhenko has been recognized abroad as one of the most poetic in the world of cinema. The film demonstrates a deep philosophical understanding of life, death, love. On December 8, 2015, "Earth" was included in the list of masterpieces of world cinema, compiled by UNESKO on the occasion of its 70th anniversary. Abundantly watered with sweat and blood of our ancestors, the land of Ukraine is an incomprehensible miracle. Mother, nurse, protector, amulet - we all come from it. “Everything goes to one place: everything came from dust and everything will return to dust” (Ecclesiastes 3:20). Our soil is part of the world heritage, for every grain of it preserves the history of mankind, the imperishable spirit of generations of Scythians and Pechenegs, Cumans and Huns, Greeks and Romans, Cimmerians, Goths, Alans, Poles, Serbs, Bulgarians, Jews, Tatars ...
The wings are the kneeling guardian angels. Twenty-five pairs by the number of regions, located around the symbolic altar. The closing credits of Wenders' film contain "a dedication to all the former angels, but especially to Yasujiro, François and Andrei” as a reference to Yasujiro Ozu, Francois Truffaut and Andrei Tarkovsky.
This project is dedicated to Alexander Dovzhenko, Boychuk artists, Les Kurbas, Yevgen Pluzhnyk, Mykola Zerov, Mykola Voronyi, Vasil Stus - talented sons and daughters who continue to keep watch on the frontiers of spirituality, our national identity. Here and around the world.
Architectural bureau OZart Architects;
Design - April 2021;
Status: completed;
Implementation - August 2021;
Architects: Andriy MOROZ and Andriy YALANSKIY;
Engineer: Ruslan ZHADEN;
Structure man: Lubomyr MYKYTIN;
Landscape designer: Svitlana DOMBROVSKA;
Project manager: Olga TEREFEYEVA;
Thank you for watching!
